Roadside mail boxes are often damaged by impact of debris, e.g. ice, snow, rocks, sand, and the like, thrown up by snow plows working close to the edge of a road. Also, drive-by vandalism of mail boxes by vandals using clubs and bats to strike the mail boxes off their posts is becoming increasingly common.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,978 discloses a flexible shield or cage surrounding a portion of a mail box which utilizes a hinge and shear pin arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,842 discloses a cage formed of spaced apart impact resistant members surrounding a mail box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,533 discloses an arrangement of pipe sections forming a support for a mail box and also a protective arm for deflecting blows from a drive-by vandal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,650 discloses a deformable cover for a mail box which contains a dye or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,321 discloses a protective cloth cover for a rural mail box.